DUTY LOCATIONS:

WHO MAY APPLY:

SECURITY CLEARANCE:

SUPERVISORY STATUS:

JOB SUMMARY:

This position is located with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) located in Plainsboro, NJ.

This position will be filled under the Department of Commerce Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan and pay band. The ZP-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14 grade level.

This position is also announced under vacancy number OAR-GFDL-2014-0002 which is open to all status candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

This position is not in the bargaining unit

NOTES: This vacancy may be used to fill other Physical Scientist, ZP-1301-4 positions throughout NOAA. The position must be alike (e.g., within the same geographical location, same grade/band requires the same qualifications as indicated in this vacancy announcement).

Information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position MUST BE INCLUDED in your application: job title, duration of employment, duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, and salary.

TRAVEL REQUIRED

Not Required

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED

No

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.

Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)

Qualification requirements must be met by closing date of announcement.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Qualification requirements in vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualifications standards. This handbook is available on OPM's website at: Qualification Standards

This position has a positive education requirement, transcripts must be submitted. CANDIDATES MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:1. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.or2. Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

To qualify at the ZP-4 or GS-13/14 level:One full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-3 or GS-11/12 of the Federal service. Experience in:

Working with observational data and collaborating with a team of scientist.

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions) and place you in one of the three pre-defined categories. The categories are gold, silver and bronze. However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the gold category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed. Preference eligible with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (gold) depending on the position and grade level of the job. For more information on Category Rating, please go to: Category Rating

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

Skill in understanding and predicting seasonal to decadal regional variations and changes in hydroclimate, particularly over the U.S.A., including variations in snowpack and extremes.

Skill in developing and evaluating metrics for seasonal to decadal climate predication performance.

Knowledge of analyzing model-generated predictions against measurements and observations for accurate quantification of skill and processes, with a particular focus on extreme hydroclimate events particularly winter storms, and snowpack, on seasonal to decadal time scales.

Skill in evaluating the character of and the factors governing the variations of the climate system, and its impacts on seasonal decadal regional hydroclimate, extremes and snow.

Skill in analysis and design numerical experiments with global climate models to diagnose variations and changes of regional hydroclimate and snow on seasonal to decadal time scales.

Ability to quantify the impact of multiple factors on regional hydroclimate, including extremes, and snow variations on seasonal to decadal time scales.

Ability to present seminars, and participate in national international radiation meetings and workshops to advance the knowledge on climate variation and predictability.

Ability to prepare scientific results for peer-reviewed publications and see the publications through the entire review/publication process.

1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;2. A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action” documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

NOAA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

HOW TO APPLY:

Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

To apply on-line, you must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.gov. To begin, click the Apply Online button near the bottom of this screen and follow the prompts to register into your USAJOBS account, answer the questions, and submit all required documents.

To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select Apply Online to continue.

If you have problems completing your on-line application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please contact the Help Desk by e-mail at mgshelp@monster.com or by phone at 866.656.6831. The help desk is available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET.

For instructions on submitting your application in another format, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed in this vacancy announcement.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional. Your resume must indicate your citizenship and if you are registered for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Your resume should also list your education and work experience including the dates (mm/dd/yy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week. For work in the Federal service, please include the grade level for the position/s. Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire.

If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 to show type of discharge or other valid proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference seehttp://www.opm.gov/staffingPortal/Vetguide.asp#VeteransEmploymentAct1998.

Active Duty Service Members-- You must submit a statement of discharge/certification of release or an official written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days from the date the announcement closes. Enlisted Record Briefs and military identification do NOT qualify as official documentation. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm the discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not be considered for this job opportunity under Veteran Preference procedures. To gain access to your DD-214 online please visit http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html

Education. If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at: USAJOBS and clicking on "Track your online application". The four points of notification are:

1. Application Received or Application Incomplete;2. Minimum Qualification Requirement Met or Minimum Qualification Requirement Not Met;3. Eligible (Application Referred to the Selecting Official) or Eligible (Application Not Referred to the Selecting Official)4. Selected or Not Selected.

By submitting your application, you are certifying the accuracy of the information contained in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be terminated after you begin work; or, you may be fined or jailed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.

You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.).